


Second Chance

by ghostiprince



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3410396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostiprince/pseuds/ghostiprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanda chose this University for two reasons; one, so he wouldn't have to see anyone he knew, and two, for a fresh start. Soon after arriving fate causes him to meet up with his best friend from his childhood. What will he do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I do the characters justice and I hope everyone enjoys reading this as much as I did writing it.

Summer had come and gone; consisting mostly of solo late night drives to McDonald's for fast food binges, and countless mornings being woken up on the dojo floor by a member of the cleaning staff. There definitely were certain aspects to that relaxed lifestyle that Kanda relished in, but now he needed to face forward and give semester one of college his best effort.  
  
The whole point of leaving high school behind and moving on to college―besides higher stress levels and countless student loans―was to make a schedule that started sometime in the afternoon, not at the crack of dawn. Despite all the flack morning classes got and the fact that every fiber in his being told him that come week three he would regret the decision, Kanda signed away his fate; every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at eight o'clock sharp in the morning he would have to be in class, ready to learn all about precalculus and its intricacies. Though attentiveness and ability to soak up knowledge was a whole different can of worms.  
  
Waking up in the morning, especially on Mondays, was like trying to dredge up his consciousness from an abyssopelagic level of muddy, inky ooze that clung to his sleepy brain like a hoard of dream leaches. Sluggishly Kanda roused to an even rhythm of beeps blaring by his ear. He shot out his arm and blindly felt around for his cell to hush the alarm, before sitting up and reaching above his head till he felt a satisfying pull at his arm sockets. Class started in thirty minutes, which gave Kanda enough time to go to the campus Starbucks for an early morning cup of coffee.  
  
He was pretty sure―no, positive that Mother Nature hated him. This year when Summer turned to Fall it was surprisingly cold. It was only the beginning of September and already Kanda had to break out his long sleeve shirt and leather jacket. He absolutely hated the cold, which was one reason why he now attended this university, instead of all the instate universities that had accepted him. Zipping his jacket up a little more, Kanda started the short hike to the lecture hall where he would be taught how to add, subtract, multiply and divide but at a more difficult level.  
  
Pumpkin spice warmed his insides, and after taking another toasty sip Kanda pushed open the glass door to his yet to be accepted new eight in the morning hell. Though a couple people sat near the door, probably for a quick getaway once class ended, the room was sparsely populated. Population plus one, now that Kanda was here.  
  
Meandering down the rows of chairs, Kanda picked out one of the only not broken seats near the front. Morning class coupled with precalculus was sure to be a deterrent towards most to sit near the teacher, at least that's what Kanda bet his money on. He enjoyed the emptiness of the immediate vicinity and hoped no teacher's pets would come in to ruin his solitude.  
  
Slowly as the time drew towards eight o'clock, more and more students filed in. Some joined the group at the back of the room, while others sat near the middle. No one seemed too keen on getting close enough to get caught dozing off by the professor, so Kanda found himself blissfully alone in the second row.  
  
With half of the room already asleep by a minute past eight, the professor announced that role will be called and then they would go over the syllabus. Kanda yawned into his sleeve and tipped back another gulp of coffee. While waiting from A through K for his name to be called, he paid more attention to the feeling of rubbing his thumb along the edge of the cardboard sleeve around his coffee cup.  
  
"...Yuu Kanda."  
  
Tiredly he raised a hand to indicate where he sat, though it was hardly needed since he was right under the professor's nose. "Here."  
  
The professor checked off his name and continued calling out names. Kanda zoned out, more interested in the grain of the wooden desk than the names of the classmates he would hardly interact with for the rest of the semester. Once role call was finished the professor ducked his head behind a sleek black computer, probably trying to pull up a slide with the syllabus on the projector.  
  
Suddenly the glass doors at the back of the lecture hall burst open, a dark skinned boy panted and leaned against the doorframe. The teen walked somewhat steadily to the front of the room while saying, "...S...Sorry for...being late...on the first...day," he paused to gulp in air, "Did you already...take attendance? The name's Alma Karma. I promise to be here on time for the rest of the year."  
  
Kanda flinched at the mention of a name. Eyes narrowed as he studied Alma's appearance; a huge dark cherry cardigan that bunched at his hips overtop a crisp pale yellow button up shirt, light blue jeans ripped at the knees, indigo Converse sneakers, dark hair that had forgotten to be brushed, and an impossibly familiar scar that ran across the bridge of his nose. Though he was taller and his voice deeper, Kanda could recognized his childhood friend anywhere.  
  
Dark eyes met hazel and before Kanda could falsely protest Alma sat down right next to him. The professor excused Alma's tardiness and began explaining the syllabus. Even though they were right in front of the professor Alma had the gall to strike up a conversation with Kanda, who attempted to ignore the other's efforts. He subdued the urge to yell at Alma for being so persistent and annoying in the middle of class.  
  
"That was SO boring, right, Yuu? I mean, come on we can read can't we?! They guy didn't have to keep us there for a whole fifty minutes just to go over the course materials and learning schedule!" Alma grabbed ahold of Kanda's jacket sleeve and turned Kanda to face him. "It's been so long! What made you pick this university? Isn't it kinda far from home?"  
  
Kanda sighed and pulled his sleeve from Alma's grasp. Was it good luck or bad luck that he had managed to pick the exact university Alma would be attending? He didn't know, but the slight resentment inside him leaned towards bad luck. Kanda wasn't about to get caught up by Alma's pace, back then he would almost always get stuck doing this Alma's way. They found a table in the corner of the university's dining square, away from prying eyes.  
  
"So what's the answer to my question? You dragged me over here so spill."  
  
With a sigh Kanda tried to relax, leaning back into the wooden chair. "I got accepted and of course I miss my family," he paused, unsure of what to say next, then grit his teeth. "So, what are you majoring in?"  
  
"Premed path biochem major with a polysci minor! How 'bout you?"  
  
He was surprised to hear Alma's choice in field of study. Back when they were kids Alma had hated doctors and doctor visits, always sneaking in through Kanda's window and begging Kanda to hide him from his parents. Kanda would only frown and tell Alma to stop being a baby and just get his shots, to which of course Alma would protest and hide under Kanda's bed.  
  
Resting his cheek on the palm of his hand, Kanda replied, "Chemistry major, minor in writing."  
  
Suddenly gleaming eyes and sun-kissed skin were in his face. "Really?" Alma seemed way too happy about their similar choice in study paths. For a moment Kanda almost considered going, right then and there, to the registrar and changing his major.  
  
"Really," he echoed in a serious voice and pushed back the encroaching teen from his personal bubble. They had been childhood friends. Had as in the past. Somewhere along the line of eighth grade to now Kanda had come to resent Alma in a way. It stemmed from the way Alma had suddenly vanished from his life without warning, leaving him with nothing but confusion and unanswered questions. Countless days spent hiding out in the grove behind their middle school during lunch period, sharing half of the other's ice-cream bar on hot summer days―were they all nothing? He remembered the hurt he had felt the days―weeks after finally being told Alma had moved away. Of course eventually he had come to terms with the fact that Alma was gone from his life and he moved on, or so he had claimed.  
  
A bell-like laughter broke Kanda's thoughts and he turned to watch Alma grin with teary eyes. "You haven't changed a bit, Yuu! God, I missed your deadpan replies," he said while wiping his eyes with the corner of his cardigan. "I'm glad we can talk like this and be friends again. I've really missed you!"  
  
His mind froze. First, what had given Alma the idea that Kanda was still his friend? Yeah they hung out in the past, but that was before the whole leaving-the-state-without-even a-goodbye had happened. Second, did Kanda even still want to be friends with Alma? His former best friend waltzes back into his life and suddenly he questions his yearlong resolve to resent said best friend. Finally, why did the joyful expression on Alma's face make him forget all animosity?  
  
Hazel eyes curiously watched Kanda and he quickly relaxed his shoulders. "What're you thinking about, Yuu?" Somewhere in the tone of that smooth voice Kanda could tell Alma knew what he was thinking. It was something about the inflection coupled with the way Alma, ever so slightly, tilted his head and quirked the corner of his mouth up.  
  
Kanda huffed and looked away defiantly. "None of your business."  
  
"Well, anyway what's your schedule like?" Cardigan covered hands pulled out a folded square of paper that when opened showed Alma's Monday through Friday schedule. He then turned expectantly to Kanda, who eyed the paper then pulled out his own slightly crumpled sheet.  
  
He watched Alma run a finger along the papers, comparing class names, professors, days and times. Kanda, though he wouldn't say it―because he didn't know how to bring it up―wanted to know what happened those seven years since now. What about Alma was the same and what was different? He needed something so he could figure out if he wanted to continue being Alma's friend. Something to prove Alma was worth his time and effort, something to say that Alma wasn't like those assholes from high school, that he was still the same.  
  
"Ah! Cool! Besides precalc, we have chem together! Let's be lab partners!" As possibly terrible and hospital trip inducing as the idea of working together with volatile chemicals and Alma sounded, Kanda couldn't refuse. "Speaking of class, don't you have a class now? Which one was it...?"  
  
Tapping the lock button on his phone, Kanda watched it light up with the time―ten minutes till class. He grabbed his schedule to find out what building he had to be in. When he reached down for his phone again he found it missing from the edge of the table and in Alma's sticky hands. "What do you think you're doing?" Kanda growled and snatched up his cell, which had the contacts page displayed.  
  
"Seven minutes till class. Call me," chimed Alma as he waved at a quickly leaving Kanda.  
  
Left, down a hall, up a stairwell and to the right. Kanda made it to his class with a minute to spare. Plopping down in the blue plastic chair he caught his breath and waited for class to start shortly.  
  
Unlike his class earlier, the professor had them do a partner activity, where they were assigned partners and had to introduce themselves using the example on the board. This had Kanda grumbling and trying not to glare too hard at his assigned partner; a redhead with an attitude that was too friendly for Kanda's liking.  
  
"Hey I know this isn't part of the assignment but why're you taking Japanese?"  
  
The not so subtle implications made his blood boil and if looks could kill, his partner would be six feet under choking on dirt. "No I don't speak it at home," spat Kanda with enough venom in his voice to kill an elephant.  
  
The redhead held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender as if meaning to calm Kanda's anger. "Sorry for bein' a bit insensitive. Let's start over. The name's Lavi Bookman, and you?"  
  
The grin on Lavi's face just provoked Kanda's rage even more. If only he could slap Lavi. When no reply came from his end that redhead spoke up again. "C'mon I know you're not mute, you answered my other question, even if it was rude. Hey, I'm sorry for assuming. Really I promise!"  
  
Again he made no effort to give an answer, choosing to instead attempt in vain to glare a hole through Lavi's skull. Before the redhead had another chance to speak the professor interrupted, saying that they were dismissed and that these pairs were to work together for the rest of the semester. Kanda gave the large window in the classroom a thoughtful glance and almost defenestrated himself right then and there.  


Lunch eventually rolled around and Kanda ended up spending it eating alone in his dorm room. Over a slice of pepperoni pizza he contemplated if he really could make friends in college or if he needed to. After all he'd decided in high school that most people weren't worth his time and that life was livable without constant company. He did well on his own and so far people here didn't seem promising, though it wasn't like he was really paying attention to the other students.  
  
A knock on his door surprised him. Did his RA want something? He went to the door and opened it, expecting to see smirking face of his RA, Wisely. Instead he found a pouting Alma carrying a plate of mozzarella sticks. "Do you need something?"  
  
"Why haven't you texted me yet?!" The short teen barged into Kanda's single room and stuffed a mozzarella stick into his mouth with a grumpy expression.  
  
Turning on his heel and closing the door Kanda frowned. "When was I obligated to message you? You stole my phone and put your own number in there! I never said I wanted it."  
  
Alma paused his circular pacing to glare at Kanda, but then sighed and stomped his foot. "You aren't but...!" He paused to inhale another breaded stick of mozzarella, then shot a dejected look. "...I was kind of hoping you'd be just as thrilled as I am to be seeing you again that you'd call me immediately..." Blood rose to color Alma's cheese filled cheeks.  
  
Only Alma could say something so terribly full of raw, genuine feeling while still looking like a chipmunk. Heart beats quickened and Kanda needed to spit up an answer unless he wanted a crying Alma in his hands―at least that's where the signs pointed. If they were still their younger selves in grade school this would be the telltale sign that Alma would burst into salty tears at any moment. Kanda hoped the other had grown out of that, but he didn't want to take the risk. Back then he had been bad at dealing with a sobbing Alma and his skills haven't improved much.  
  
"Give me your phone." He held out his hand. He got a confused look but then a cellphone landed in his palm, it was the same model as his own. Swiping to the contacts screen he clicked on the add contacts button located in the upper right-hand corner. Typing in his name and number, he returned the phone for Alma to see.  
  
A smile broke onto the teen's face and he leaned in for a hug, which was met with Kanda's arm on his shoulder. "No hugs." Kanda had done one nice thing, that didn't constitute physical shows of affection even though no one was around. He sighed and a question rose to the forefront of his mind. "How did you find my room?"  
  
The situation had gotten hectic and had given him no chance to ponder the obvious. As proven by the visit Alma previously didn't even have Kanda's cellphone number; so how had he found the room, much less gotten through the dorm resident specific key swipe doors?  
  
Something about the way Alma smiled gave him a bad feeling. "Well I saw you walk into this dorm building and guess what?" Alma paused for dramatic effect. "We're dorming in the same building! And that's not all! We're even on the same floor, in the same hallway!"  
  
Suddenly Kanda felt faint; this was going to be a long semester.


	2. Marathon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems kinda overdue...'ta show my apologies I doodled Alma's outfit from the first chapter! Enjoy.  
> http://kingnue.tumblr.com/post/143336171570/eyes-narrowed-as-he-studied-almas-appearance-a

Four plastic prongs stabbed a poorly dice cube of melon, and Kanda zoned out as he lazily brought the fruit to his chapped lips. Eight days had passed since his morning check-in to this purgatory, and finding out that he was the lucky soul to get saddled with the most annoying welcoming committee to date. Kanda's face still contorted at the thought of his first day. He impaled the next cube of melon in his fruit cup with a little more force than necessary. Across the small circular table Alma gazed wide-eyed and curious at Kanda's display, then leaned in and stole the plastic fork from Kanda's hand, eating the cubed fruit stuck on the end with a childish smile.

"Yuu, you really need to relax or your face is gonna get stuck like that forever," stated Alma as he playfully bit the tips of the plastic between his front teeth before reaching over to thieve another melon cube. Kanda rolled his eyes and yanked the fruit cup away from the incoming fork, receiving a whine from Alma. "C'mon Yuu!!! Share! Share!"

In a bout of defiance Kanda tipped the fruit cup back and ate the remaining two cubes of melon, chewing them and watching Alma's dismayed face. Then, calmly, Kanda stood and threw away the plastic cup in the mostly empty recycling bin. Returning to his seat, Kanda was met with puppy dog eyes and a protruding lip.

"It was my fruit cup. Go get your own if you're so upset over it!" huffed Kanda as he crossed his arms and gave a soft glare.

A whine escaped Alma's lips as he deflated onto the table, stretching his long arms all the way till they brushed against Kanda's own arms. "It's not the saaame, Yuu!"

Glancing at the slight invasion of his personal bubble, Kanda scooted back in his chair, face scrunching up with the skidding sound of metal chair legs against marble. He let out a sigh and lifted up his backpack by a single strap, throwing it over his shoulder.

"Not. My. Problem." Kanda pushed in his chair, careful this time not to make that horrible screeching sound. "I have class," he said, intending it as a goodbye.

Before he even took three steps Kanda felt a tug on his backpack, and glanced back. Alma was still lying face down on the table, arms outstretched, hands grabbing onto the loose black canvas fabric of Kanda's backpack. He glanced up, big eyes meeting Kanda's impatient expression. "Can we hangout later, Yuu?"

In response Kanda yanked himself free from Alma's grasp, and muttered, "Sure."

The walk to class was quick, ending with Kanda taking a seat in a blue plastic seat that he had come to hate after only a few times sitting in them. Actually it wasn't the seat he hated―though they weren't what he'd call comfortable by a long shot―it was the person he sat by in said seat. Two minutes till class started, and just like on cue Lavi showed up, plopping down next to Kanda. "'Sup, buddy!"

Kanda did his best to ignore the redhead, which would have worked if they weren't classwork partners for the next semester, though to Kanda it felt like an eternity. By no means was Lavi dumb, or bad at the work; it was just that Kanda couldn't deal with his irritating personality, and penchant for finding and pushing each and every last one of Kanda's buttons like it was some game of whack-a-mole.

"So...would you be so kind as to share your textbook with your best friend, who, by some unfortunate event, forgot his textbook?" At those words Kanda's head snapped to the side so fast he almost got whiplash.

"Who are you calling best friend?"

"Okay. Self-proclaimed...best friend! How's that?" When the only response Lavi got was a good long, hard glare, he dropped the antics and cleared his throat. "Anyway, so how 'bout you share your textbook with little ol' me?"

Kanda just shoved the paperback textbook to the edge of his desk. Next time Lavi would have to either bring his textbook or make a new friend in class to share with because Kanda, for sure, wasn't going to allow this to become a regular occurrence.

The professor chattered on about particles and different verb conjugations. Kanda had read through the chapter already, so he let his mind wander. After this class he would have English, then he'd be free to spend his evening reading assigned textbook sections and doing homework. Then sometime later he'd be visited by Alma―a slot of time where, no matter how much he tried, he wouldn't get any work done. School work had his free time in a vice grip, so Kanda couldn't figure out what had possessed him to agree to spending said limited free time with Alma. He'd much rather use it to rest and relax, not be at the mercy to whatever hair brained ideas Alma wanted the pair to partake in.

The class moved onto speaking practice in pairs, and Kanda was tapped back into reality by Lavi. He played it off as him ignoring the redhead, so he wouldn't be playfully mocked for spacing out.

The activity was to read off questions to a partner and let said partner reply with a certain sentence structure―easy enough. Lavi started, asking Kanda what his favorite food was. Without any pause, Kanda replied smoothly and evenly, then asked the next question about favorite pastime.

The answer Lavi gave wasn't expected.

Kanda would have at a glance pegged Lavi's favorite pastime to be partying or socializing, not reading novels and research papers or essays. Come to think of it Kanda didn't know much about Lavi at all, not that he had particularly wanted to, given their first couple meetings. His perception of the redhead hadn't totally been toppled to the ground, but he now had new insight on Lavi as more than an annoying and intrusive classmate.

Not missing a beat, Kanda answered the next question, and so on and so forth.

The class ended quickly after the pair work. Everyone filed out from the room, Kanda being one of the last. As he turned the corner he felt a quickly approaching presence, then a hand was patting his shoulder and Lavi was slowing down to his pace.

"Going to English, right?" He nodded, no longer phased by Lavi's exceptional, almost uncanny, ability to remember the smallest details, even if they were only mentioned in passing.

The redhead stretched his arms a bit before shoving his hands into the front pocket of his acid wash jeans. "...So...are you busy later? Wanna study a bit with me before our first quiz?" Lavi pause, analyzing Kanda's facial expressions. "...Or do ya have other plans?"

Kanda didn't think he could be read like an open book, but this was another one of Lavi's uncanny abilities. It was almost as if Lavi could see the inner workings of Kanda's mind and was deducing his thoughts from just the slightest change in his expression.

He sighed and adjusted the position of his backpack. "I'm busy."

The redhead scratched the back of his head and smiled, lightly slapping Kanda's shoulder then waving as the two parted ways. "Maybe next time then, Yuu-chan!"

He noticed Lavi dashing off after that comment. Part of him was glad that Lavi knew that giving Kanda that honorific spelled out a not-so-bright future, but part of him was also irritated that despite this knowledge Lavi had the gall to use said honorific anyway.

Kanda grumbled to himself all the way to his English class. Switching gears from verb conjugations in a foreign language to rhetoric analysis in English wasn't difficult, and English class went without a hitch.

Walking down the hallways of his residence hall, Kanda took note of the cloud shaped green construction paper with Alma's name written on it taped to a wooden door three rooms down from his own. Every time he walked past the door Kanda couldn't help but pause a moment and listen. Sometimes he'd hear the faint tune of a Fall Out Boy song or Alma's voice on the other side, but usually it was just silence. Today it was the predicted silence. He felt a little like a creep always waiting a moment outside Alma's door, like some smitten school girl who couldn't pluck up the courage to ask out her crush so she'd just dawdle outside his classroom before leaving without accomplishing anything.

The automatic lock clicked behind him and Kanda tossed his backpack to the side of his room before slumping down into the cushions of his desk chair. He flicked on a lamp, pulled out a pen and his notebook, and then opened the chemistry textbook. Note taking was tedious at the best of times, but today he just couldn't focus. After a solid twenty minutes Kanda leaned back, arms dropping to his sides, and heaved a sigh. Maybe it was a good thing that Alma would be coming over. He wasn't getting any work done anyway so he couldn't lose anything from the visit.

As if on cue Kanda's cell lit up with a message from Alma stating that he had just finished his political science class and was on his way over. Once he read over the message, Kanda locked his phone and tossed it onto his bed.

He must have dozed off for a moment because the loud pounding on his door jolted Kanda awake. Despite knowing exactly who was at his door, Kanda, out of habit, took a glance through the peephole before turning the door handle and letting in a smiling Alma.

"Yuu!" Of course the first thing in order was the obligatory pouncing hug. Alma leaped, wrapping his sweater clad arms around Kanda's neck. Being groggy from the unwarranted nap, Kanda couldn't retaliate fast enough and was caught in the hug. A few seconds passed and Kanda realized Alma might never let him go, so he slowly pried his childhood friend off him. The process was a lot harder than he realized; Alma had a stronger grip that Kanda had anticipated.

"Soooo? How was class, Yuu?" asked Alma as he hopped up onto Kanda's faux made bed―he had just pulled the blanket up to cover the entire bed instead of keeping them tangled up in a heap like usual. Alma was untying his shoes, kicking them off onto the floor along with his socks. If Kanda hadn't known Alma previously then he would have been a little taken aback, but to him this was just common practice. Back when Alma used to sneak into Kanda's room to surprise him, he'd always forget to hide his socks and shoes, which were the prime indicator that Alma was probably lurking in Kanda's closet or under his bed.

He shrugged, kicking back onto his desk chair, ignoring Alma's loud patting of the covers next to him. Kanda gave a short nod back at the other's direction as if to return the question. "My day was great!" exclaimed Alma with his hands shown to the ceiling and a huge smile on his face. "I finally got my quiz back from last week, and guess what? I got an A! Also today in Biology my professor did the oddest thing. He made bird calls into the microphone and they were so good! I wish I could whistle like that."

Kanda just sat back and listened to Alma chatter on excitedly about his day. He was half listening to the words that were being spouted, and half focusing on the tones and inflections in Alma's voice. Whenever Alma got excited he'd incorporate a lot of hand motions and the story would become more than just a listening experience, it would become like a play. It was mesmerizing to watch how fluidly Alma's body language matched the story and how each change in tone could pull Kanda deeper into the story. This had always been the case, even as a kid Alma had been very animated when recounting events, and Kanda had always been entranced by the performance.

"Have you done the chem homework yet?" asked Alma sheepishly with a side glance. Kanda side eyed his notebook and nodded. "Can ya help me with it?"

He sighed and tossed Alma his notebook, moving to sit closer to the other. Flipping through the first couple pages, Kanda stopped on his chemistry notes for tomorrow. "What do you need help with?"

"Hmmm..." A frown crossed Alma's face as he scanned the notes, going page after page till he reached out and pointed to a section. "That!"

Turning the notebook around, Kanda read over the identified section before reaching for a pencil from his desk. He flipped to an empty page and scribbled out a problem he had remembered from the back of the textbook. "It's just balancing equations. Try this problem." He handed off the pencil.

For a moment Kanda wondered why he was being so cooperative with Alma. If it had been anyone but Alma he would have shoved the textbook their way and told them to figure it out. Something about Alma hit his soft spot and Kanda, out of habit or not, couldn't resist giving help. He wanted to think of it as doing charity work, to depersonalize it, but really it all had to do with his feelings towards Alma, which he had vehemently pushed to the back of his mind for the past week plus.

Kanda couldn't help curl the ends of his mouth into a slight smile as he watched Alma ponder the question, brow furrowed and lips pursed. Alma had a habit of tapping the pencil against his lips when he was thinking, before bringing down the graphite tip to scribble out some numbers onto the paper, then rinse and repeat till the entire problem was solved. The notebook page was handed back for Kanda to review and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he read Alma's soft, round handwriting. There was such a striking difference from his own hard and jagged chicken scratch, that it was jarring to see the two scripts on the same page as if the two handwritings weren't meant to be near each other lest the beauty be lost in the practically illegible writing.

The answer was right, so Kanda quickly scratched down another problem, suspicious that Alma didn't actually have an issue with the new section. Even so often Alma would glance up at Kanda, doe eyes giving him the once over before a huge grin would spread across his face that made Kanda look away―Alma was probably amused by the reaction.

"Done!" Again Kanda checked over the answer, finding no mistakes and no hint of confusion. Flipping closed his notebook, Kanda placed it back on his desk then turned back to end up with a face full of smiles. "So, Yuu, what'cha wanna do now? Play a game? Go on an adventure? Watch a movie?"

Alma probably knew that Kanda wouldn't choose any of the options so, without giving even a moment for an answer, Alma stated, "Let's go on an adventure!" He hopped of the bed, and quickly went to work shoving his shoes and socks back on. While Kanda stayed put, giving a looks that said "as if."

"C'mon! It'll be fun! I already told my friends that you'd be coming!" At the mention of contact with another human being, and one that was friends with Alma, he raised an eyebrow.

Alma tugged at Kanda, trying to get him to move. It was evidently a futile action so Alma switched gears to laying out Kanda's shoes, which again went ignored. Finally in a last ditch effort Alma swiped Kanda's cell and room keys, and ran out the door. Now that had Kanda hopping to his feet, sloppily shoving on his boots and running after the other.

Kanda had forgotten how fast a runner Alma was. He panted and stopped just outside their residence hall, bending over to catch his breath, eyeing Alma who stood six paces ahead, jingling Kanda's keys right in front of him like fish bait. Kanda regretted ever letting that childish mayo-lover into his room. "Out of breath already, Yuu?" asked Alma as he brought out his own cellphone, typing away a message that Kanda could only guess said something about being on the way to earlier mentioned friends.

A low grown signified his second wind and again Kanda shot after Alma. The duo zigzagged through the sparse crowd of people on the sidewalk before taking a sharp right towards the upperclassmen apartment buildings. He didn't dare fathom that Alma had made friends with upperclassmen, but really right now just wasn't the time for thinking―Alma was a likable guy, though he often got on others' nerves, but who knows, Alma could have just found a really tolerant group of upperclassmen.

Kanda watched Alma dash into a stairwell for one of the apartment complexes, and charged after him. Two angry flights of stairs and a slammed door later Kanda had caught Alma, but was also in the midst of a small get together. With a sheepish smile Alma returned his keys and cell, then like soap, slipped through Kanda's grip, taking a spot on an ugly patterned couch. He pocketed his cell and keys before turning to leave.

"Where do ya think you're goin', Yuu-chan?" sang a voice. A vein burst and Kanda whipped around so fast his hair came full circle to slap him in the face. There, sitting on a stool at a messy counter was none other than Lavi.

"Yeah. Where do you think you're going?" chimed in another voice from next to him. He glanced down to see a small girl with dark skin and spikey hair that was dyed purple. She smiled back at Kanda before tugging him deeper into the apartment.


End file.
